Tofu Sweet Potato Pancakes

Tofu at breakfast? What was that the question again? Wow, yes, that sounds interesting, maybe next time, or are you kidding me. Yes, that used to be me too. I get it, many of us still view tofu as that dish you try out of politeness or its that once in a blue moon occasion. No dispute, there are a lot of unappealing tofu dishes out there. I see tofu more as a creative journey with health benefits, an adult chemistry experiment if you will, rather than a substance to swallow.

I got this recipe from my mother. Who got it from her mother. Who won it in a heated game of Crazy Eights from a Chinese widow who immigrated to the USA shortly before 1945. Actually no, though it would be a cool story. I did get the recipe from my mother. Originally it was a sort of tofu hash. This was the late 90s and my mother, who is always ahead of the curve, was experimenting with firm tofu. The turmeric colored the tofu yellow. To the un-expecting, my father, it appeared you were eating a chunky scrambled eggs. I believe he ate it once, maybe?

Okay, in case you are still skeptical, we will tart it up with sunny side up eggs and greens. And if you are still not sold, feel free to add as much of your favorite breakfast meat, e.g., turkey sausages. After all, you are eating tofu.

You need one large or two medium sized sweet potatoes, a packet of cooking tofu (firm), an egg (or three), and curry and turmeric for a bit of zip.

Drain the tofu and place it in a medium sized mixing bowl. Break up the tofu with a fork and then add the curry and the turmeric. I use two teaspoons of each. If you are eating with the tofu adversed, dial it up or back accordingly. Add the egg and mix.

Peel and shred the sweet potatoes. If you do not own a food processor, cut the sweet potatoes into thin long strips. Add the sweet potatoes to the tofu mixture and mix.

Turn on your skillet. Let it heat up for at least one minute before you add one Tablespoon of cooking oil. I usually wait for three minutes as I like my skillet hot, yet not smoking. Take a small handful or approximately 1/2 of a cup’s worth of the mixture and gently place it in the frying pan. Flatten it with a spatula so the pancake is not too thick and makes as much contact with the pan as possible. I fit three in my skillet. I set the skillet on high heat for at least three minutes and then reduce the heat to medium for two to three minutes more. Adjust the heat according to attain desired doneness: golden brown, extra crispy, or blackened.

After about six minutes you will need to flip them. I recommend a firm spatula and a swift motion. There is a chance the pancakes will break apart. Try adding a bit more egg next time as a binding agent. If all cooking oil has been absorbed, I usually add a 1/2 teaspoon on the flip. Fry the pancakes on medium heat for another five or six minutes.

Remove pancakes from the skillet and repeat the process. The ingredients should yield six pancakes. I place the pancakes into a bowl and cover to keep the heat in. Of course you can put the bowl in the own on warm heat if you have a lot of pancakes to fry.

While I am frying the pancakes, I usually stir fry a green vegetable too, e.g., bok choy, bell peppers. Today, I went with blanched asparagus. Snap off the ends and place them in boiling water for two to three minutes. To review numerous asparagus prep options, paddle on over to Jamie Oliver’s and check how to prepare asparagus.

What about the eggs? Okay, the asparagus is cooling and the pancakes are nearly done. I usually go with sunny side up and crispy. This allows me to let the yokes drain into the pancakes. Paddle over to Smitten Kitchen and check out Deb Perelman’s take onthe crispy egg. If you have the time, forty minutes, try The Best Scrambled Eggs by Mark Bittman. While I rarely get forty minutes for anything, they look great, plus he learned from James Beard. How cool is that?

Assembly and presentation: I usually overlap two pancakes slightly, add the asparagus/greens, place the eggs on top of everything and tuck the turkey sausages in under the eggs.